Putting the Spotlight on Turtles: Lehmesa at NMoQ

This immersive exhibition within the National Museum of Qatar blends art, science, sustainable creation and storytelling to reveal the life and resilience of Qatar’s sea turtles.

If you’re looking for an engaging and educational activity for your children this break week, Qatar Museums has created the perfect experience. Lehmesa: Return by Moonlight, an exhibition dedicated to the endangered Hawksbill turtle, seen nesting on Doha’s beaches, has opened at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ). Through interactive games, videos, and immersive design, the exhibition invites visitors on a sensory journey into the lives of turtles.

Unveiled at NMoQ, Lehmesa: Return by Moonlight explores the life cycles, habitats, and ecological significance of Qatar’s sea turtles. The exhibition focuses on the Hawksbill turtle, the only sea turtle species that nests on Qatar’s shores, and highlights the country’s natural heritage.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, in the presence of Mohammed Saad Al Rumaihi, CEO of Qatar Museums, and Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Thani, Director of the National Museum of Qatar, along with other dignitaries.

Taking its name from the local word for sea turtle, Lehmesa celebrates the resilience of the Hawksbill turtle and underscores Qatar’s commitment to protecting its biodiversity.

Art from Cardboard

Through six immersive sections, Lehmesa: Return by Moonlight traces the Hawksbill’s journey from land to sea, offering visitors a sensory-rich experience inspired by Qatar’s coastlines, coral reefs, and marine habitats. Blending environmental science with artistic interpretation, the exhibition features work by London-based artist Josh Gluckstein, encouraging visitors to reflect on their role in preserving the balance of the natural world.

Josh’s art vividly depicts the underwater world, bursting with colours, forms, and marine life, guiding visitors on a captivating journey of discovery. What makes these works especially compelling is that they are crafted entirely from recycled materials, specifically, discarded cardboard.

Josh describes himself as having been passionate about art “right from the moment he was out of the womb.” Equally fascinated by animals, he eventually bought his two passions together by creating lifelike animal sculptures through his art.

“Travelling around the world with my partner for two years made me realise the sheer amount of plastic waste, especially underwater. I also collected enough information about animals and was ready to make a portfolio of my works. That was when COVID happened but I couldn’t get enough art material. During lockdown, when I finally had the time to translate my passion into art. I couldn’t find traditional art materials, but cardboard deliveries kept piling up in my house. I eventually uncovered a use for them, transforming them into works of art. I started with individual animals, but this commission really expanded and diversified my canvas.

“Cardboard is easily available, it’s a material everyone understands, and I really fell in love with its simplicity,” says Josh of his chosen sustainable medium.

Standing amidst his creations at NMoQ, Josh reflects with joy: “To finally be here in such an incredible museum, showcasing my work alongside phenomenal artists and photographers, feels truly wonderful.”

As for the challenges of creating large-scale installations, he recalls them with excitement rather than frustration: “They were all aesthetic challenges and creative problem-solving moments, especially with sculpture, where you have to balance the visual beauty of the structure with its engineering. That tension was really exciting for me. Trying to figure out how different types of cardboards are going to become varied animals, for example, sometimes I use raw cardboard to create dugongs, sometimes I use corrugated cardboards to emphasis on a texture on top of a coral and sometimes I push realism with pink-coloured finishes, especially in this under-water setting. The turtles are also created with detailing. It is the process of getting to the final finish that really excites me.”

Seeing his work within a larger scale and within a museum setting, finding how it interacts with the rest of the exhibits has made Josh even more ambitious of his art process.

Beyond the Exhibition

As part of its public programming, NMoQ will host events, workshops, and educational activities in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) and Qatar University. These initiatives aim to enhance public awareness of marine biodiversity and conservation of turtles, engaging families, students, and communities in hands-on experiences that highlight the importance of Qatar’s coastal ecosystems.

Lehmesa: Return by Moonlight is presented as part of Evolution Nation, an 18-month campaign celebrating Qatar’s cultural journey over the past 50 years, since the founding of the National Museum of Qatar. Curated by Qatar Creates, a national movement positioning Qatar as a global hub for art, culture, and creativity.

Evolution Nation highlights both the nation’s cultural milestones and its aspirations for the future. Within this framework, the exhibition situates the turtle as a symbol of Qatar’s identity, aligning with the Years of Culture initiative, which shares Qatar’s cultural heritage with partner nations.